Lowlands Away
by Jlovesallfandoms
Summary: Mary and Edward's relationship to the shanty Lowlands Away. "I dreamed a dream the other night. Lowlands away! My love she came, all dressed in white. Lowlands away... she came to my bedside all dressed in white like some fair bride, lowlands away... she made no sound, no word she said. And then I knew my love was dead... And then I awoke to hear the cry, lowlands away."


_A/N:While reading this fic I recommend listening to the saddest songs you know. Mass Effect does a good job, as well as "I'll be With You" and "A Boy and a Girl"_

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**Chapter One**

_I dreamed a dream the other night._

_Lowlands, lowlands away me John._

_My love she came, dressed all in white._

_Lowlands away!"_

"Fancy seeing you here, Kenway." Her words welcomed him with her usual snarky attitude. Edward had just clambered behind her, hoping to perhaps surprise her for once, but as usual, she noticed his presence right away. Most likely, she knew he was there all along, but only welcomed him now. They were both atop the windmill looking over Prins' mansion, the man Edward killed just the night before. The sun was starting to set once again, displaying the array of colors which Mary loved so much.

"To you as well, _Mary_." Edward gave her his best shite-eating grin as he used her real name. He sat next to her, both now looking over the sunset.

"My threat still stands, Edward." Mary only sighed. "If you don't keep your damned mouth shut, I'll unman you as well."

"My lips are sealed." He promised her. She looked at him expecting one of his sarcastic smiles, but he only looked as serious as he would ever be. Rolling her eyes, she turned away to watch the last of the sunset. The refreshing breeze of Jamaica ran through the layers of her coat, slightly disheveling the ruffles she kept on her chest to disguise whatever cleavage she had, and she quickly fixed and tied her coat again after retying her red bandana. Her lips were still slightly stained from her blood as she hasn't taken the time to fully wash it off, but she has already smudged the dirt on her face to darken her complexion and smudged kohl under her eyes.

"What are your plans now?" Their shared silence was interrupted by her own curiosity.

"I reckon I'll return to Nassau; visit some friends. After the crew satisfies their needs here, we'll set sail." Edward shrugged as the last of the sun has finally set. Noticing Mary's silence, he turned to her again. "And what of you?"

"I should return to Tulum." Mary frowned as she eyed the full moon above their heads. "Tell Ah Tabai of the successful assassinations."

"And after that are you returning to Nassau?" Edward's voice almost sounded hopeful, causing Mary to snort.

"No. Maybe after some time, but Tulum is my place now." She smirked when she saw the frown and furrowed brow on the blonde captain. "You'll miss me, won't ya?"

"Aye," The captain laughed haughtily down his nose and shook his head. "There won't be a thorn in my side every second." When Mary laughed along with Edward her feminine voice leaked through her disguise. His frown returned to his face again, and he turned away. How could he be so clueless all along? "Jaysus, Kidd. How is it that you're a woman?"

"Does it really need explaining, Edward?" A silence came over both of them until Mary finally sighed. "I was born with a brother, his name was Haytham. Us three were a low family, living in a house barely able to keep the wind out, eating of soup barely able to fill our stomach. My mum worked as a tavern wench, I knew that much. The only money we got was from my grandmother, who sent us some money every now and then for my brother. When he died of illness, my mum dressed me up as a boy as a disguise so my grandmother would still send the money." She paused for a second before smiling. "I was married before, ya know."

Edward almost fell off the windmill. The last thing he could imagine was Mary as a wife, staying in the house and cooking for a husband.

"Is it that much of a surprise to you, Kenway? Can't see me happy?" Mary snorted again, having caught the seasoned and feared captain off guard.

"No, it's just… hard to imagine."

"You should've seen me when we were married. He insisted I should be dressed in white like some fair bride. We were so young. And we were even happy for some time." Her smile vanished and her voice slowly started to become sober. Edward didn't need to hear the rest of her story to know of her husband's demise.

"It seems we are both married in God's eyes then." Ocean eyes met hazel in a sober recollection and understanding of lost young love, the flame of their youth that died out with each year of reality.

"Aye," Mary said after a while, being the first to look away. "It seems so."

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_"I Dreamed my love came in my sleep._

_Lowlands, lowlands away me John._

_Her cheeks were wet, her eyes did weep ._

_Lowlands away"._

When she awoke, tears were pooled under her hazel eyes. Her chest was heaving, and her thin pillow was already damp.

"_Damn_," She cursed under her breath as she wiped her wet cheeks. She wasn't sure what she was doing anymore, but her body seemed to be acting on its own. She looked under her bed to find her James Kidd disguise. With a shimmy of her shoulders and the guidance of her shaking hands, she shrugged on her oversized coat over her trousers and blouse, but deciding to leave the bandana and the extra layer which concealed her breasts. It would take too long. What she needed was a quick escape. Quickly stepping in her boots, she shoved open the door of the room she was sleeping in to be greeted by the tavern, now occupied by pirates passed out on the bar with tankards still in hand.

_He's not here,_ she thought. She knew he wouldn't be there anyways, for she already had an inkling of his location.

A harsh night breeze caused her to tightly wrap her arms around her chest, salvaging whatever body heat she had left. Rushing towards the beach, she could already feel the sink of her boots as the sand began to form under her feet. Surely enough, a bonfire was still lit. On a large log by the bonfire sat a group of pirates happily singing Leave Here's a Health to the Company, a shanty she often her own crew sing while sailing. A bottle of rum was each in hand, with empty ones scattered across the sand.

"_Here's a health to the dear lass that I love so well_," The pirates' song began to get louder as she stepped closer. By the shore, she saw him sitting on the sand, overlooking his own ship on the docks. "_There's a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee, there's no man in this wide world as happy as me._"

He only noticed her as she walked in front of him, the sea foam wetting the bottom of her boots. Her coat was lazily wrapped around her, and what he saw before him was Mary Read, the pirate queen, not James Kidd. He quite preferred the pirate queen over the bastard son. Before he could make a snarky comment or remark, she sat on the sand next to him and put her head on his chest.

"Mary?" He questioned. She shook her head not wanting to reply just yet. He only stared at her for a few seconds, still shocked that the brave ruthless Mary he knew was able to have a vulnerable moment, but after blinking many times and slow breaths, he started to slowly brush his hands on her dark hair. After a moment he started to feel the top side of his coat becoming damp, only to realize she has been muffling her cries all this time. "Mary, what's happened?" His voice was of utter concern now. He had no idea what could make the great pirate drop to her knees. She shook her head again, refusing to remove her head from his chest. She didn't even know why she came here, but his presence seemed somewhat comforting. After a few short breaths, she calmed down and quickly turned away from him, wiping her tears so he wouldn't be able to see.

"It was a damned dream." She let out a slew of curses that even some of his crew would blush after hearing. Edward almost laughed at the oddness of it all; being so vulnerable one moment and solid the next. He suspected only Mary Read could manage such a feat. "I… I saw… I remembered…" She shook her head, not wanting to repeat and relay what happened in her mind. Edward nodded, understanding her discreetness. After a deep breath, she sat down next to him again and looked at the black flag sailing over his ship.

"Did you see him?" He asked. The beach was silent now. She didn't know whether or not the pirates have stopped their songs, but she only heard his words. She almost shook her head before he finished. "Did you see your love?"

"I saw death." She saw death, that much was true. The dream seemed so vivid and so real that when she woke up she thought she was gone in the next world too early. The memory of her husband's death replayed over and over again in her head, but she didn't say there were two deaths in her dream. She didn't tell Edward of how she saw the death of her young love, and one new. No, she never did tell Kenway.

They both fell asleep on the hard sand, after shared silence and exhaustion. When her hazel eyes opened again, rays of sunlight started to warm her skin. She started to raise her head, only to find it's been resting on his chest again. And she didn't mind. She felt some odd comfort from his presence, of knowing that her dream wasn't real. So she set her head back again and closed her eyes.

_Let this moment last a little longer, _she pleaded. _Allow me one moment longer of weakness._

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A/N:Sorry if this chapter was complete crap. I just had to get it out before it escaped my head. This is the first chapter of maybe three or four? I'm planning to do a chapter for each verse of the song. originally this was supposed to only be one verse, but it was so short so I added another. And sorry if they seemed a bit OOC, but this is what really happened in my head okay sequence 10 and 11 never happened I don't know what sequences you're talking about


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